Weekly Report - 01 November 2018

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Strike exposes resentment over inequality

One person was killed and 48 arrests were made during a 24-hour strike on 29 October in the Cibao region, comprising 14 provinces in the north of the Dominican Republic. The strike was spearheaded by the umbrella civil society group Frente Amplio de Lucha Popular (Falpo) which made a series of demands, including better basic services and improved infrastructure. Raw statistics reveal little reason for a strike: the national economy is growing strongly, unemployment is falling, and inflation is very low. But this has fuelled frustration, especially in the four north-eastern provinces in the Cibao, where income inequality is high.